The Messenger, Georgia
Nov. 5, 2004

Snapshots of living together
By Nino Gvalia

At the exhibition
Photographers from Georgia Ira Kurmaeva and Liza Osephaishvili-Nemtsova

Until November 7, the TMS Art Gallery (16 Rustaveli Avenue) is holding
a photography exhibition titled ‘Living Together,’ presented by the
British Council and BP.

The collection features works by six young photographers from Georgia,
Azerbaijan and Armenia – Liza Osepaishvili-Nemtsova, Irina Kurmaeva,
Sitara Ibrahimova, David Hakobyan, Vahe Gevorgyan and Rafail Shakirov.

The Living Together exhibition is the result of a week’s work in
February this year, when the six photographers from the three Caucasian
countries met up to take snapshots around the theme of living together.
They worked in Tbilisi, Mtskheta, Marneuli and Tskhinvali, where
different ethnic and social groups live side by side.

According to Liza Osepaishvili-Nemtsova, working together on the
project was a very interesting experience, as it gave her the
opportunity to meet up with colleagues and share ideas. “I liked the
project very much. I met with interesting photographers and
collaborated with them,” she said.

The project was coordinated by the British photographer Ann Doherty,
whose works were exhibited in a British Council exhibition in the three
South Caucasian countries in 2003.

The aim of the project was to bring together a photo collection for a
touring exhibition describing how people of different origins can live
in peace and harmony, despite the recent ethnic conflicts in the South
Caucasus.

“When I see this exhibition, I think that it belongs to one author. I
don’t know if this is good or bad, but I find the exhibition very
interesting and also think that it is a very good idea when
photographers from different countries work on the same theme and then
exhibit their work together,” said the famous photographer Irina
Abzhandadze.

The black and white photographs printed to a very high quality well
illustrate the often harsh life of Caucasian people, who live in
poverty, face many difficulties, and whose eyes are thoughtful and sad.

“This theme has made a strong influence on me. The exhibition again and
again proves that photography is one of the main art-forms, which can
send a powerful message to a viewer,” commented the well known
photographer Yuri Mechitov while visiting the exhibition.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress